Patient care often requires monitoring of a number of parameters, including but are not limited to Oxygen Saturation (SpO2), Pulse Rate (PR), Perfusion Index (PI), Total Hemoglobin (SpHb), Oxygen Content (SpOC), Pleth Variability Index (PVI®), Methemoglobin (SpMet), Carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO), Respiration Rate (RR), noninvasive blood pressure (NBP), EEG, EKG and the like. Multi-parameter patient monitoring systems, for example, the Root® Patient Monitoring and Connectivity Platform of Masimo (Irvine, Calif.), can simultaneously measure and display relevant vital parameters, and can be integrated into the hospital bedside monitors and/or the anesthetic machines in operating rooms.
Multi-parameter patient monitoring systems can have a docking station or a device rack configured to receive a plurality of patient monitor processing modules. The docking station can provide basic connectivity between the one or more patient monitor modules or sensors and the processing components, and may not have its own processing unit for processing the signals from the one or more modules or sensors. The processing components can process patient data received from the patient monitor modules. The processing components can often be integrated with a display device. The monitoring system can also have a graphics processing unit for displaying at least a portion of the patient data on the display device. The patient monitor modules can have a sensor port for receiving a physiological sensor. The patient monitor modules can have their own signal and graphics processors and display screens so as to be used as portable patient monitor devices.